


Seirin, FIGHT!

by ignite_pass_tetsuya



Series: Seirin Week 2015 [5]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Locker Room, M/M, pre-game pep talks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-04-09 21:51:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4365467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ignite_pass_tetsuya/pseuds/ignite_pass_tetsuya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seirin huddles in the locker room before the Winter Cup finals of Kagami and Kuroko's third year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seirin, FIGHT!

**Author's Note:**

> I know it's not great. Really, I do. It'll be edited and updated when I have more time, but I wanted to write something for Day 5 either way. If you have anything you'd like to see in the edited version, please let me know. I'd love to get some ideas.

“Okay guys, huddle up.”

Kagami opened his arms, locking them around Kuroko and Mitobe’s shoulders on either side of him. He felt Kuroko nest his fingers in the fabric of his black jersey, grabbing a fistful over where the number 4 glistened proudly in the light of the locker room. Every time he did this, it was a reminder for Kagami to relax and focus.

It had become a tradition of theirs before every game. Before they went to warm-up, they would huddle together in a tight circle to pass on their words of wisdom and encouragement to each other, give last minute reminders, and help to calm frazzled nerves and racing heartbeats. Kuroko and Kagami had been doing it since their second year; when they became vice-captain and captain, respectively, they decided to make it a team-wide occurrence.

Kagami took a deep breath, looking up and around the circle of his teammates before him. The Seirin High Basketball Club was fifteen members strong this year, and Kagami was proud of it. With each passing year, they had gained more and more new teammates. And though it had been beyond his imagination before, he was honored to have been chosen to lead this squad. When asked about who his vice-captain would be, the answer was obvious.

He turned to look at Kuroko, who simply gave him a small smile and a nod of encouragement. They had been playing together for so long that Kagami always looked to him for strength.

“How are we feeling, guys?” he asked of his team.

He got a few nods, a few responses of “good”, and one very quiet “nervous”.

He looked around the circle, searching faces for the owner of the voice. He looked to Furihata first. He had taken the point guard position by storm, surprising even Kagami and Kuroko with how much he improved in such a short time. He had made leaps and bounds with his skills and his confidence, and he had been a tremendous asset. Maybe he was just having an off day, Kagami thought, but Furihata shook his head at Kagami’s questioning stare. It hadn’t been him.

Kagami looked around the circle again, meeting every pair of eyes except for one, which were fixed to the concrete below their feet.

“Hiroki?” Kagami questioned. The boys head snapped up, finally meeting Kagami’s gaze. “You okay?”

“Yeah! I’m great! I’m… I’m just nervous. It’s no big deal. I’ll get over it.”

“What are you nervous about?” Kagami asked. “It’s okay, you know. Don’t feel bad.”

“Well, you know… This is a huge game. And if I go out onto the court, it’s because you guys trust me and are counting on me to make something happen. But what if I mess up instead? What if I make a bad pass or miss my shots or trip over my shoelaces or—“

“Hiroki-kun,” Kuroko said, snapping the first-year out of his daze. “Please don’t worry. It’s okay to be nervous, yes? It’s a completely normal feeling. I have every confidence in you—so does everyone else here. Did I ever tell you what happened during my first game? I tripped and fell within the first five seconds of the game and got a nosebleed. I had to be subbed out.”

Hiroki tried, but couldn’t completely stifle the giggle that escaped past his lips. He hung his head to hide his face.

“Sorry, Kuroko-senpai. I really don’t mean to laugh at you.”

“It’s okay, Hiroki-kun. If it made you feel better, then my story did its job.”

Hiroki flashed a smile at his vice-captain, feeling a little better about the situation for now. He knew he would feel nervous again when he stepped onto the hardwood in a stadium packed to the brim with spectators, but he would worry about that when the time came.

“Kuroko’s right though, you guys,” Kagami said, continuing. “It’s okay to be nervous, you know? I get that. I really do. Even I’m feeling a little jittery right now. It’s a big game and we have to play our best, but you can’t pretend that those kinds of feelings don’t exist. The trick is to not let them hold you back. Let them exist, but let them sit at the back of your mind. You can acknowledge them, but you can’t let them take over. Once you give in, you’re lost. It’s all about balance, control, and timing. Keep yourself in the here and now. You’ll be just fine. Kuroko?” Kagami passed the discussion to his shadow.

“I think it is most important for you all to remember that the only reason we stand here today is by the combined efforts of all fifteen members of this team,” Kuroko said, looking around the circle. “Each one of us has been an integral part of every game this season, no matter how tough. United we stand; divided we fall. Remember this well. We must always rely on each other and trust each other while we are a team. If we ever let something drive a wedge between us, we will not function as one. It’s most important in games such as this, when we have made it to the very end. It will be easy to place blame on each other if something happens to go wrong, but resist the temptation. At the same time, mistakes will _always_ happen at one point or another. Brush them off and move on, since it will not help anyone to dwell on them.”

“Yeah, that’s right!” Furihata jumped in. “You’ve all seen me make bad passes before, right? I don’t try to, but sometimes they happen. Either my head wasn’t in it or I didn’t have a good handle on the ball or whatever. And sometimes you can’t control all the little things, but you _can_ control the effort you put in to make up for it. If you make a pass that gets stolen, run back to be the first one back on defense. If you miss a shot, go up for the rebound stronger than everyone else. No matter what, there’s always something you can do. But staying down and letting your teammates pick up slack is the only thing that’s _not_ an option, okay? Always get back up!” He flashed a smile.

“Well said, Furihata-kun,” Kuroko complimented.

“Thanks, Kuroko,” the point guard replied.

“Time to really buckle down and focus, everyone,” Kagami said. “Just remember what we’ve done, what we’ve learned, and how far we’ve come. Remember all the tough games we’ve had and the victories we’ve earned together. Focus on that, and we can’t lose. Now… Let’s go out there and win this Winter Cup!”

Kagami and Kuroko gripped each other’s hands, placing them in the middle of the circle. One by one, thirteen other hands joined them in a pile.

“Ready? Seirin, FIGHT!”

“YEAH!”


End file.
